


An End is Our Beginning

by airiustide



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Romance, Supportive Sokka, Zutara, ZutaraFluffExchange, sokka being a supportive brother and a goofball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26592556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airiustide/pseuds/airiustide
Summary: “Ugh, I want to kiss you so bad!”“Zuko.” She soothes, resting her hand on his shoulder, the other on his chest. She moves to her knees so that she could get a better look at him and chuckles when he peers a single eye at her through his fingers. Katara smiles mischievously. “Do you still want to kiss me? Because I want to kiss you too.”Summary: There's something about Zuko that always draws her attention. They're newfound but true. If only she can easily express them without fear. If only Sokka wasn't her only option for love advice.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 119
Collections: Zutara Fluff Exchange





	An End is Our Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZutaraWasRobbed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZutaraWasRobbed/gifts).



> A sweet little piece for one of my favorite people in the world I've been matched with for the Zutara Fluff Exchange. I hope you like this adorkable gift <3

“You know, nothing will happen if you stand there gawking out the window. In fact, it’s kind of creepy.” 

A startled Katara shuts the window curtain, turning around to the sound of her brother’s voice and knocks a vase off the nightstand. She had been caught, embarrassment flushing her cheeks. It’s hard enough mustering the courage she needs without her brother walking in on her staring at Zuko sitting alone on the beach from afar. “You didn’t have to sneak up on me. I’ll get there, I just don’t want to make a fool out of myself.” Katara excuses, cleaning up broken shards from the vase. 

“Really?” Sokka amuses, coming to her aid. “More foolish than stalking your crush.”

“I’m not stalking him!”

Sokka slings an arm around his sister after cleaning and leads her out of the door of her guest room. Katara allows him but there’s this doubt lingering in the back of her mind that makes her want to run and hide. Out of all the advice she’s needed to get through this, Sokka happens to be the only person available. Suki turned in early for the night and Toph was with Aang; and Aang...well, he wanted little to do with her right now.

“He hates me…”

“Who, Zuko?”

“No. Aang.” She wanted to tell him she was confused, that the war muddled her judgement and that she didn’t truly know where her feelings lied. That was untrue. If they weren’t there, it’d never be there and as much as she wishes she could reciprocate those feelings-- who wouldn’t want to? Aang is the Avatar, and any girl would be lucky to be chosen by him. But feeling lucky won’t change her views.

When Katara explained this to him, that she could never see him more than a friend and that she wanted to be honest as to not get his hopes up, he took off, a tear filled Katara calling out to him, only for her lungs to fill with a strong gust of wind. Now she had no idea where he was. Toph offered to search for him and hopefully calm him down through the whole ordeal.

“You can’t blame yourself because of Aang. He’s still a kid with a lot on his shoulders.”

“Yes, but he was hoping I would be the one to carry that weight with him. When he brought up Zuko, I didn’t know what to say. And then when he asked that I give him a chance to change my mind, I thought for maybe a second I could. I couldn’t answer and he took off so fast.” Despite feeling sorry for Aang, she wouldn’t let him make her feel guilty. No. If he can’t accept that she can’t force herself to return his feelings, then this was all for the best.

That’s when she saw him. A worried face Zuko had stumbled on her encounter, turning quickly on his heels back to the theater as though he had intruded. Katara’s heart sank. Did he hear them? Did he hear Aang mention Zuko? Katara wishes the ground beneath her would swallow her whole. The rest of the play, they all sat mostly in silence. No Aang, no Toph. Zuko can’t seem to meet her eyes and the only cheerful chatter was Sokka’s loud mouth.

Afterwards on their way back to the beach house, Zuko excused himself.

“Look Kat.” Sokka opens the balcony door overlooking the ocean. The moon is visible and the sky crystal clear. A breeze wisps through Katara’s hair, momentarily obscuring her vision until it stills and she has a clear view of Zuko sitting alone next to a fire. “I know what it’s like to find that person, because it can all happen in the blink of an eye. So fast, you can hardly pinpoint the reason. Don't miss out on the chance to tell the person you like what;s in your heart. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I’d hold tight to what was so important to me, if not just a few more seconds.”

His gaze turns upward at the moon. Seeing Sokka like this, Katara begins to empathize with her brother. “But you know, life’s short and I’m not exactly fond of you having goo goo eyes for a firebender.” Well, that moment didn’t last long. “So quit being a sob about it and take action.” 

Without warning, Sokka shoves her onto the balcony and locks the door. 

“Sokka!”

“Good luck, little sis!” Her brother calls out from the kitchen window with a thumbs up.

There’s no turning back now. Besides the fact that Sokka locked her outside, she really did need to overcome her nerves and actually take the initiative. So, picking up the pieces of herself and gathering her courage, Katara makes her way to the beach and sits abruptly next to Zuko, who’s shocked to see her.

“It’s late.” She blurts, unable to meet his gaze still. 

Zuko arches a brow. “It is.”

What does she say now? Her heart is hammering hard in her chest that she’s pretty sure Zuko can hear it. “T- Thank you for helping me. With Yon Rha, I mean.”

He brings his knees to his chest, turning his head slightly to hide the blush tinting his cheeks. Katara finds it utterly adorable. “Yeah. I was happy to help.” 

“You weren’t scared?” Katara asks. Twice she had used bloodbending, the only time she had seen true fear directed at her. Since then the others had sometimes acted differently. She had caught both Sokka and Aang flinching from time to time. “You don’t think what I did was monstrous?” Because she did. Not solely because of the act itself but because she found how much she had enjoyed it, and it frightened her.

Zuko finally looks at her, confused and bothered at why she thought so. “Of course not. You could never be a monster. Me on the other hand...well, I know monsters.” 

He unconsciously reaches for his scarred cheek, only for a delicate hand to beat him there. “I don’t see one here.” Katata whispers, the firelight sparking in his gold eyes and she’s taken aback by how beautiful they are. For so long, from far away, he had been the image of everything she feared since childhood. He isn’t the monster she always assumed, he’s just a person trying to find his way like the rest of them.

Zuko closes his eyes at her touch, reveling in the feel of her cool hand and the sound of the ocean crashing against the shore. 

Why did he have to look so innocent, so not like how she expected? Katara realizes after moments pass how long her hand has lingered and begins to pull away only for Zuko to clasp her wrist. “Why did Aang ask about me?”

Katara’s put on the spot. She swallows, not sure where to turn because Zuko has her locked in his beautiful orbs and she doesn’t want to retreat from the warmth of his hand. “You heard?”

“Hardly. But it seems to have upset him. I don’t want you or him to think ill of me.”

“I believe you’ve misunderstood.”

“A part of me kind of hopes I did.”

So he did hear them. If not the whole exchange, at least the most important parts. Katara’s rattled, feeling the hurt swell at the thought of Zuko rejecting her. 

“Why me?” Zuko asks.

She studies his face, taking in his every feature. His distinct eyes, his jawline, his pale skin, his dark hair. In the dark, he looks mysterious but up close, she can see the lack of confidence shadowing his face. “I asked myself that a million times.” Katata admits. “Even though I know for sure what the answer is.”

“And what is that?”

“Because you respect me. Because you view me as more than a waterbender, you see me as an ally worth standing by. And even when we were enemies, it was like you knew I was a worthy opponent after I mastered my element. Most of all, you hardly knew me and yet, you built a better understanding of me than those closest.” It’s a small part really, but bigger than Zuko can ever realize. 

There’s silence between them, the wait is killing her. Katara buries her feet in the sand, ready to bolt if it continues like this. Zuko lets go of his hold on her, burying his face in his hands, and flops back in the sand. “Ugh, I want to kiss you so bad!”

That was certainly unexpected. Katara’s face flushes, his confession making the very skin on her cheeks tingle. Blinking fast as she tries to process what happened, Katara reaches for him, only for him to rollover and block her from his view. 

“Zuko.” She soothes, resting her hand on his shoulder, the other on his chest. She moves to her knees so that she could get a better look at him and chuckles when he peers a single eye at her through his fingers. Katara smiles mischievously. “Do you still want to kiss me?”

He groans, his blush growing another shade.

“Because I want to kiss you too.” She leans in to plant her lips on the hand blocking her from his lips. When that doesn't work, she does it again, more firmly and whispers. “Let me kiss you.”

That makes him melt, his heart thrumming as fast and as hard as hers from beneath her fingertips. Zuko removes his hands, his eyes lidded and his pink mouth parted. This time he doesn’t hide when Katara leans in and brushes her lips over his own. Their surprisingly soft, those lips. For someone who is heavily guarded, Katara thinks he’s so warm. 

“Kiss me back.” She pleads, cupping both sides of his face and meets him halfway. Zuko can see her through his lashes, a steady beat of breath escaping him because he can’t believe this is real. And what makes his heart soar the most is what she says next. “I like you, Zuko. And if you have the time, I want you to hear all the reasons why.”

Zuko lifts his head, combing his fingers through her hair and encloses his lips over hers. So passionate and sweet and breathless that he elicits a small moan from Katara’s mouth. “I like this one the most.”


End file.
